All four cursed masks were now in their possession. Without a moment's hesitation, Javier and the others immediately headed back to the basement. When Jill and Barry saw the huge coffin hanging from the ceiling on chains, their expressions froze. They hadn't expected to find a sealed coffin here. Even more unbelievable was that the creature inside was still alive. However, they could be certain that the creature inside the coffin was not a member of the S.T.A.R.S. team. It would be impossible. The coffin was sealed so tightly that air couldn't circulate. No one could survive inside for even a few hours, let alone an entire day. They would suffocate and die, or go into shock from the cramped, unmoving space. Therefore, the person inside was most likely not one of the S.T.A.R.S. survivors they were searching for.
But that didn't matter. It didn't stop Javier and the others from being curious about who was inside. After all, a person who required four cursed masks as keys to be unsealed must be someone very important, likely with a significant connection to the Umbrella Corporation and the bioweapon virus.
Javier and his team immediately got to work. "So... are you guys ready? If you are, I'm going to place all the masks. Just remember not to accidentally shoot me. I don't want to get turned into a beehive!" Javier asked, his face hidden behind a gas mask, looking like a green-headed fly with red eyes. He held the four cursed masks in his hand. He didn't know how good Jill's marksmanship was, but he knew Rebecca's was good enough. She could easily wipe out any target with her shotgun, even with her eyes closed. Javier was afraid that the previous situation would repeat itself and that he would be accidentally killed by Rebecca's large shotgun.
But Jill and the others didn't care. They were more concerned about the identity of the person in the coffin than Javier's life. Helpless, Javier placed the four cursed masks onto the faces of the stone statues next to them. Each statue's face had to be fitted with the correct mask: the mask that could not speak of the devil, the one that could not smell or speak of the devil, the one that could not see the devil, and the one that could not speak, smell, or see the devil. Following the order from the book of curses, Javier placed them one by one onto the statues.
And in the next second... "Bang!" "Rumble...!!!"
The entire dim basement shook violently as the mechanism was triggered and opened. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the strong chains that had been holding the coffin in place suddenly slipped down as if unlocked, and the heavy steel coffin slammed onto the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust. Seeing the huge commotion, Javier and the others' expressions changed slightly. They quickly retreated a few steps, not wanting to be ambushed by whatever was in the coffin due to the dust obscuring their vision. They had to be careful when dealing with an unknown creature.
"Bang...!" "Clang—!!!"
With a loud crash, the steel coffin that had fallen to the floor lay silent for a moment before suddenly bursting open. The two lids were blown off, slamming hard against the basement walls on either side. From within the thick smoke, a tall, dark figure emerged, standing almost two meters tall.
"Hiss..." "Hoho..." A low hissing sound gradually emanated from the figure, accompanied by a thirsty swallowing sound. Javier and the other three exchanged glances and immediately understood what they needed to do. To ensure a stable output of firepower, Javier even gave Jill the modified shotgun that had belonged to the late Richard. Barry had his Colt revolver, Javier had two Magnums and a Holy Flame, Rebecca had her trench sweeper M1897, and now Jill had a modified shotgun. Even the Tyrant from the Executive Training Facility would be stunned by this much firepower.
With their confidence boosted, the four of them formed a square formation, waiting in the corners of the basement for the figure in the dust to reveal its true identity. They were determined to see who the owner of this coffin was.
As time passed, the dust settled, and the figure's appearance slowly became visible. It was a giant zombie similar to a Tyrant, but its body was not as stocky and muscular. Still, it was very fit and had a sinister appearance. Unlike a regular zombie, its skin, though showing signs of decay, was a steaming red. It was almost two meters tall, not as tall as a Tyrant, but still towering over a normal zombie.
The blood-red zombie was wearing a tattered white shirt with a black tie still attached to the collar. The black trousers on its lower body were torn down to a short length, making it look a bit like a mutated Hulk. Based on its clothing, Javier and the others could easily tell that this zombie had once been a respectable white-collar worker. What had caused him to fall to such a state?
It was actually not hard to guess. The true identity of the tall, blood-red zombie was George Trevor, the architect of the mansion! He was a famous architect who had been invited by Umbrella CEO Spencer. At first, George was confused by Spencer's request for numerous traps and mechanisms in the mansion, but being in need of money, George agreed to Spencer's request. It took him five years to complete the mansion. It was a testament to George's ingenuity and hard work. But he never would have imagined that Spencer would immediately modify many of the mechanisms after taking over the mansion, then invite George Trevor and his family—his wife Jessica and his daughter Lisa—to the mansion under the guise of a celebratory dinner.
As soon as Spencer had his human maze, he couldn't wait to test its power, so he threw the Trevor family into the mansion. Unfortunately, although George was the architect, he was no longer familiar with many of the mechanisms after Spencer took over. He was soon trapped inside. After trying for a long time, he couldn't escape the mansion. He and his wife and daughter were all captured by Umbrella and used as test subjects for the T-virus. He and his wife Jessica had a poor reaction to the virus and could not be integrated with it, so they were not qualified candidates. But their daughter Lisa was a natural host for the virus and had a good reaction to it. Thanks to their daughter, the couple, as inferior products, were barely kept alive.
After a long period of abuse from the virus experiments, their daughter Lisa turned out to be much more useful than expected, which pleased Umbrella. Even the great genius William discovered the original G-virus from Lisa's body. After obtaining the G-virus, William immediately chose to cut his ties with the Trevor family. The family of three were all disposed of as garbage by Umbrella. Lisa, with her powerful G-virus vitality, did not die, but her mother Jessica was hidden in a stone coffin. Lisa searched for her mother's body in the mansion for years but never found it. As for the father, George, he was sealed in a steel coffin. The accumulated hatred turned him into his current form, blood-red like a demon. Now that he was released, he was sure to unleash all his hatred and killing intent, turning into a wild, irrational beast!
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
The moment he landed, George let out a gut-wrenching roar. The piercing sound made Javier and the others frown slightly. It seemed this monster had a huge temper. He was so angry right after waking up that he looked like he wanted to tear them to shreds. As a berserk zombie, George's blood-red eyes immediately locked onto Javier, who was in the center. This wasn't because Javier was unlucky; it was because his attire was enough to enrage George. The black tactical vest, steel helmet, and the red-eyed green-headed fly gas mask instantly reminded George of the Umbrella researchers. The Umbrella guards who would grab their arms and drag them into the lab to inject them with the virus were dressed exactly like this.
Immediately, the only remaining piece of his sanity caused George's rage to skyrocket. Steaming heat radiated from his blood-red skin, and he charged at Javier!
"Bang!"
With a mighty stomp, his foot landed on the solid ground, sending rocks flying. George, now a berserk beast, transformed into a savage rhino, his hands stretching out into dark red, hardened claws as he charged at Javier.
"What the f—!!!"
Javier cursed out loud. His expression behind the gas mask was priceless. He couldn't understand why this guy, as soon as he saw him, acted like an ape in heat, with his eyes lighting up as he completely disregarded everything else and attacked him. "Am I attracting you somehow?" This was ridiculous!
But despite the cursing, Javier reacted quickly. Seeing the berserk zombie charging at him, he fired his Holy Flame repeatedly. Several shotgun pellets scattered, and their powerful force slowed George down for a few seconds. The pellets left a dense pattern of holes all over George's body. But whatever this blood-red mutated skin was made of, it was incredibly hard, like a scab armor. The shotgun shells didn't inflict much fatal damage; they didn't even penetrate his body.
"Hah—!" Javier emptied the magazine of the Holy Flame, then flipped the shotgun around. Ignoring the hot barrel, he gripped it and swung it at George's head.
"Bang—!"
With a dull thud, the gun barrel, while not as effective as a sword, was not weak either. But this strike was mostly useless. It hit the berserk zombie's head, causing a small cut on George's forehead, but his ferocity did not diminish. In fact, the Holy Flame's barrel broke off from the gun. This left Javier speechless.
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
Breaking through the obstacles, the berserk zombie George finally reached Javier. Staring at the red-eyed gas mask from half a meter away, his pent-up rage intensified. He opened his dark red, cavernous mouth, ready to bite down. The two of them were only a foot and a half apart. George's two-meter-tall, muscular body was daunting, and his charge at Javier looked like a lion attacking a small chick.
But—"Fuck you!"
Javier cursed again. As the berserk zombie George opened his mouth, Javier quickly pulled out his M500 revolver from his pants, shoved it into George's mouth, and pulled the trigger repeatedly. A barrage of .50 caliber bullets shot out!
This time, no matter how strong the defense was, it couldn't stop an internal attack. In an instant, several bullets pierced through the berserk zombie's neck. The immense power sent George staggering back, and Javier, using all his strength, kicked him. He wanted to kick the berserk zombie George away, but that was impossible. This two-meter, two-hundred-kilogram behemoth was not something Javier, a slender man, could kick. Instead, Javier used the kick to push off and escape the berserk zombie George's attack range.
In the next second, "Bang—bang—bang—bang—!!!"
A series of fierce gunshots rang out. It was Jill and Rebecca! These two women were even more ruthless. They fired their shotguns like madmen. Barry, with his .44 Colt revolver, also landed a critical shot to George's head. Blood splattered everywhere.
The berserk zombie George was like a live target, relentlessly attacked by all four of them. The shotgun shells were fired as if they were free, all of them pouring onto George's body. In just a few seconds, George's blood-red armor was full of holes and thoroughly defeated. His whole body was riddled with bullets, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, completely lifeless.
Yes, he was dead. A terrifying being sealed in a steel coffin was now dead. But there was nothing he could have done. If he had only faced one person, this berserk zombie would have been a very troublesome opponent, a powerful creature just below a Tyrant but stronger than a Hunter. But facing the combined firepower of three shotguns and a .44 Colt revolver, even a Tyrant would have to run for cover. He really didn't stand a chance!